Anthony Deane-Drummond

Anthony Deane-Drummond (23 June 1917-4 December 2012) was a Major-General of the British Army who served in World War II, the Malayan Emergency, and the Jebel Akhdar War. He was famous for his several escapes from Axis captivity during World War II while serving as a Royal Signals officer, and he took part in Operation Market Garden in 1944.

Biography
Anthony Deane-Drummond was educated at Marlborough College and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and he joined the Royal Signals of the British Army in 1937. He served in Europe and North Africa before volunteering for a February 1941 commando raid in Italy, destroying the Tragino Aqueduct before being taken prisoner by Italian forces. He escaped from captivity in December, and he was captured near the border with Switzerland. In June 1942, he escaped from a hospital in Florence and made it to Switzerland, heading to southern France and being picked up by the Royal Navy. Deane-Drummond received the Military Cross for his successful escape, and he joined the British 1st Airborne Division on his return to England. He was second-in-command of signals during Operation Market Garden in September 1944, and he had doubts about the ability of British radios to work in a country below sea level; his concerns proved prophetic, as the British were unable to communicate with the troops near Arnhem. He was captured by the Germans while swimming the Rhine River in an attempt to escape, but he later fled and hid in a cabinet for eleven days before joining up with the Dutch Resistance. He was brought back to British lines during Operation Pegasus, and he received a second bar on his Military Cross for his second escape. After the war, he became a Royal Military Academy and Staff College instructor, and he served in the SAS during the Malayan Emergency and during the assault on Jebel Akhdar, Oman in January 1959. From 1966 to 1971, he commanded Royal Signals, and he commanded a division in the Rhine army before retiring with the rank of Major-General.